Actions Have Consequences
by legaldramafan
Summary: DISCLAIMER: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.  This is a potential for episode 7x13 based on the spoiler from when Shemar was on Ellen.  All fluff.  M/R Slash.  Garcia involvement.  Rated M as a precaution.


Actions Have Consequences

"I don't want to talk to you right now!" Reid was incensed. Morgan hadn't come home the night before; apparently he was at Penelope's. Reid was almost afraid to ask why he smelled like her fruity body wash. They'd caught a case, so here they were at midnight, sharing a room because of budget cuts – normally not a problem – and arguing when they should be sleeping since they had to be up earlier than usual.

"Reid, we have to talk about this!" Morgan reached out to Reid, trying to keep his lover close.

"We aren't doing anything until you shower. I've had to deal with the fact that you smell like her for the past sixteen hours and frankly I can't take the stench anymore!" Morgan was taken aback, but he did what his partner asked, it was certainly the least he could do.

Reid sighed and flopped back onto one of the two double beds. He thought of that morning, it seemed like it was days ago, when they were in the round table room and he had flipped out on Garcia.

_The team was in the war room and Garcia was getting ready to present the information. Morgan had said good morning and called her baby girl and she had called him Chocolate Adonis, and Reid snapped. "Garcia, do you think you could demonstrate a little professionalism? I don't want to hear about how you think Morgan is a chocolate-coated sex god, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's tired of your highly inappropriate banter. That goes for you too Morgan." JJ, Rossi, Prentiss and Hotch were all focused intently on their tablets. They didn't know what this crazy triangle was, but they were staying out of it. "I – I" Garcia didn't know what to say; the last time she had heard Reid's tone this harsh was years ago, when he had a drug problem, or at least that was what she had presumed. The only two people in the room looking at her were Reid and Morgan. She was looking to Morgan for help. He looked over to Reid who glared at him. Morgan pursed his lips together and said nothing looking down at the table; his lover was angry enough already. "How 'bout this Garcia? You start being professional today and just get back to presenting the case." The other team members showed some signs of life and a red-faced, stuttering Garcia presented the case. "What the hell was that man?" Morgan had asked him after the others had cleared out, Emily and JJ wisely dragging Garcia with them. "What the hell was that? That was me telling someone to stop calling MY boyfriend a chocolate-coated sex god! Frankly, it pisses me off on a normal day. I can't take it anymore now that I know you spent the night with her last night!" Hotch had interrupted the argument because they had to go. There hadn't been any privacy until they checked-in to the hotel late that night._

Reid was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the water stop running. Morgan came through the bathroom door with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Put some clothes on!" Reid ordered. "Parading around without them is not going to get you anywhere this time!" Morgan opened his mouth to say that wasn't his intention but thought the better of it. He pulled on sweats and a t-shirt.

"Spence, I'm sorry. I don't know what else you want me to say!" His voice and his eyes were pleading.

"Oh I don't know, maybe why you thought it was a good idea to sleep at her apartment, kiss her, etc. Because what I know is that you just gave my own keys to your place for my birthday a few weeks ago and I just moved in. What happened Derek? Did you change your mind? Did you get scared of the commitment and try to sabotage it?"

"I went there because she and Kevin had a fight and she was upset."

"Yeah, the fight was probably over his suspicions that she's attracted to you and would make her move if she thought you were interested in her in that way!"

"What?"

"Yeah, Kevin talks to me, you know, since I'm your best friend. I know that she's attracted to you, it doesn't take a profiler to see that, but I was so confident that you weren't interested that I told him not to worry! Clearly, I had blinders on! And another thing, why did it have to be you, hmmm? Prentiss has a perfectly good shoulder, as does JJ. Hell, Seaver is still friends with her even though she moved over to Andi Swann's team. Why call you? And why did you say yes?"

"I said yes because she called me crying. I really didn't think about it beyond that."

"Why, had all the blood left your brain?"

"That's not fair."

"And if this was just a friendly visit, why didn't you call or text to let me know that you were going there, or that you wouldn't be home? Did you forget that your home is supposedly now "our home" and that I would notice if you never made it? Did you see how many missed calls and texts you had? I was ready to call Hotch! I was scared to death that something happened to you!"

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, keep saying that; maybe if you do it enough times I'll believe you. And how could you kiss her? How could you?"

"She kissed me Spencer, she was drunk."

"Well how did she ever get her lips close enough to yours to do it in the first place, let alone long enough for her tongue to be in your mouth?"

"I . . ."

"Is that really all that happened or did you just not want to upset me too badly before work?"

"Of course that's all that happened . . ."

"Well why the hell should I believe you? And what the hell did you do that you needed a shower? And don't deny that because you either smelled like her from sex or from showering; which one was it?"

"Shower."

"And you had to traipse around her home wet and naked why? You know what, never mind, I don't even want to know."

"I went there straight from the gym, you know that. That's why I showered."

"Well back to the two most important questions I've had all night. Have you changed your mind about us and were you sabotaging our relationship? Because if you've changed your mind about being with me I really wish you would have had the courtesy to do so before I broke my lease to move in with you!"

"Reid, I want the townhouse to be ours. I love you and I want you there. And please don't be mad at Garcia; it wasn't her fault, she doesn't know that we're together."

"And whose fault is that Derek? I love you, I'm not ashamed of that and I don't feel like I should hide it! I do that for you because you're not ready for people to know! Poor Emily and JJ have known for years how I felt about you and for the past six months I've been lying and letting them believe I'm still pining away for you. I did that for you! Are you ever going to be ready to tell anyone or do you plan on keeping me a secret for the duration of our relationship? It's been six months! You want to live with me but you don't want to admit to anyone that you're with me? What is that?"

"I'm not, I'm not ready to come out."

"Yeah, I know. Maybe when we get back to Quantico I'll see if I can get my apartment back and then you can just let me know when you're ready for a real relationship, not a secret one. And if you're lucky, I won't have moved on yet. Now I would really like to sleep at least for an hour or two before we have to get back to the police station, so I'm done discussing this for now. Good night." Reid lay down and turned his back to Morgan. Morgan was sitting on the edge of the other bed holding back tears.

"I'm assuming you want me to sleep in this other bed tonight?" Morgan whispered.

"Oh look, the blood flow returned to your brain." Spencer made a 'hmmph' noise as his rearranged the pillows.

"Good night Spencer. I love you." And then there was silence. Morgan could no longer hold back the tears when Reid didn't reply and he let them slide quietly down his cheeks. Reid, who was far too angry to sleep, was wide awake when Morgan let a single sniffle escape.

_Shit shit shit. I'm so pathetic; a few tears and I'm already losing my resolve. Although in my defense, he never cries._

Reid sighed, kicking himself mentally, and swung his legs over his bed. He crossed the room and climbed into bed with Morgan. "Come here," Reid said as he held his arms open for Morgan. Morgan slid across the bed and into his boyfriend's arms. "I'm still mad at you," Spencer told him even as he hugged him close.

"I know," came Morgan's muffled reply. "I really am so sorry." Morgan's tears began to flow harder.

"I know you are babe, I know." Reid squeezed Morgan a little tighter.

"Please don't leave me. Please. I know I have some things to work on, but I honestly don't think I could live without you. I love you so much. After this case we can talk about coming out to the team, I promise."

"I won't leave you because I love you too. And we don't have to come out until you're ready, I won't ask you to do that, but a tentative time frame would be nice."

"I think . . . no, I know I can do that much. Can … can I kiss you?"

"Only because I don't want her to be the last person you kissed."

"I'll take what I can get." Morgan pulled away slightly so that he could move up the bed to Reid's eye level. "I love you," he whispered as he brushed back Reid's hair. He leaned in slowly to kiss him. The kiss was soft, almost cautious, much like the first time they had kissed. Morgan continued to deliver soft, sweet kisses until he felt Reid's lips part. Before Reid had time to change his mind Morgan slipped his tongue into Reid's mouth. Reid moaned softly, raising one hand to the back of Morgan's neck. Unfortunately, they had to break apart eventually to breathe. "I want you to be the last person I kiss, the only person I kiss, for the rest of my life."

"Good, because I want that too." Reid gave Morgan one small kiss before they fell asleep in one another's arms.

Both men groaned when the alarm went off. They'd hardly slept, but both knew that hashing things out and making up was worth it. The team agreed. They didn't know what the fight was about exactly, but they noticed that both men were off their game and ignoring each other the day before. Plus there had been Reid's outburst in the war room. When they saw Reid and Morgan step out of the elevator together looking sleep deprived but smiling, with Morgan's arm over Reid's shoulders, they all felt a wave of relief wash over them. When they arrived at the station Morgan caught Hotch's attention before they went in.

"You mind if I run across the street to get me and Reid some coffee?"

"Please do," he said, smiling as he watched Morgan enter the little café. He knew there was something between his two agents but he didn't dare ask because they were both intensely private people.

Reid smiled when Morgan set his coffee in front of him. "Thank you," he said after taking a long drink.

"It's the least I could do," Morgan replied, resting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it before he walked away. He approached JJ and Emily who were going over victimology, trying to determine if they'd missed some link or connection. "Ladies, can I, um, ask you a favor?" Morgan ran a hand over his bare head.

"Well, that depends," smiled Prentiss, "just what kind of favor are we talking about?"

"I know that I frequently volunteer myself as the team's go-between to Garcia, but I was wondering if you fine ladies would assume that responsibility for the foreseeable future?" Both women thought of Reid's outburst in the war room the day before, their odd behavior throughout the day, the muffled shouting they had heard through the hotel walls. The puzzle pieces were beginning to fall into place.

"I think we can handle that," JJ responded smiling.

"Thank you, so much," Morgan said before making his exit, feeling like a weight had been lifted.

"Well, Garcia's not going to be happy about this," commented JJ.

"No, but I think Reid will be, and lately happy Reid seems to equal happy Morgan, so two out of three ain't bad." JJ smiled at Emily's Meatloaf reference and got back to work.

They caught the unsub the following evening. The weather around D.C. was poor, so the pilot recommended flying out the following morning. The team found a bar near their hotel. It had a jukebox and a dance floor, some tables and booths, but most importantly good food and cheap beer. Morgan began eyeing the jukebox and a smile came across his face. The team constituted the majority of the bar's patrons. He went to the bar and obtained change for the jukebox. He flipped through the selections until he found one he thought was perfect. He put his quarters into the machine and selected "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt. As the music began he crossed the dance floor to where the team was sitting and held out his hand to Reid. Reid blushed furiously, but accepted.

_People are talking, talking 'bout people_

_I hear them whisper, you won't believe it_

_They think we're lovers, kept under covers_

_I just ignore it, but they keep saying_

_We laugh just a little too loud_

_We stand just a little too close_

_We stare just a little too long_

_Maybe they're seeing something we don't Darlin'_

_Let's give them something to talk about . . ._

"This is incredibly cheesey," Reid said smiling at his boyfriend.

"You know you like it," Morgan replied.

"I didn't say I don't like it, I just said it's cheesy." They were so enthralled with each other that they didn't notice that Prentiss was videotaping the moment with her phone.

_I feel so foolish, I never noticed_

_You'd act so nervous, could you be falling for me?_

_It took a rumor to make me wonder_

_Now I'm convinced I'm going under_

_Thinking 'bout you every day_

_Dreaming 'bout you every night_

_Hoping that you feel the same way_

_Now that we know it, let's really show it Darlin'_

_Let's give them something to talk to about_

_A little mystery to figure out_

_Let's give them something to talk about_

_How about love, love, love, love?_

"I'm going to send this to Garcia," whispered Prentiss.

"I don't know exactly what happened between her and Morgan, but I don't think she'll want to see that," JJ replied.

"Maybe not, but she needs to. Reid has been waiting for Morgan for years; I won't let anyone ruin that. Not even Garcia." Emily pronounced. With a few taps of her fingertips the video was on its way.

Morgan and Reid walked back to the table holding hands. Morgan had been so nervous about coming out to the team, so afraid, but now he wondered why. He felt lighter, happier. It had been hard keeping their relationship a secret. Reid was elated, he could tell. They sat down, still holding hands.

"So who knew Reid could move like that?" Prentiss teased, breaking the silence, causing the team to laugh. When the laughter died down, Hotch cleared his throat.

"Just to be safe, I think we should avoid bringing this to the attention of Strauss' temporary replacement. I know the fraternization policies are rarely enforced, but . . ."

"We understand," Reid stated, Morgan nodding in agreement.

"We have every intention of keeping things professional at work, we just didn't want to hide us from you guys anymore," explained Morgan.

The girls went and inserted more quarters into the jukebox and pulled Morgan and Reid on the floor with them, switching partners eventually so that they could each interrogate both men.

"So what do you think Garcia did to piss Reid off?" Rossi inquired of Hotch.

"I don't know if I want to know."

"It's understandable, not wanting anyone other than you to call your boyfriend a chocolate-coated sex god, but I'm just curious about what tipped the scales. They've been together at least a few months if they're serious enough to come out to us," reasoned Rossi.

"You know what? I definitely don't want to know," Hotch replied, taking a long drink of his beer.

Back at Quantico, Garcia had received Emily's video and brought it up on one of her computer screens. She watched the men dance, whispering in one another's ears intimately, holding hands even after the dance was through. She thought of the night that Morgan had spent at her place, of how she could hear his phone vibrating with missed calls and texts all night, and of how angry Reid had been at her the next morning. Now she understood why and she began to cry. She cried because Morgan was clearly off limits, because she had unwittingly hurt Reid and maybe lost his friendship, and if Reid's behavior had been any indication of his feelings on the matter she was probably going to lose her friendship with Morgan too. Clearly, they had reconciled the situation and were still together, or they wouldn't have come out to the team. She sat in her office for a long time, crying over the mess she had made.

Due to the bad weather hovering over D.C., the team didn't fly out until the following afternoon. When they arrived in Quantico, Hotch told them to go home, take the following day off and do their paperwork when they got back to the office. Morgan and Reid climbed into Morgan's truck and headed to their home.

"You know what the one good thing about us having a fight is?"

"Enlighten me, please."

"We get to have hot make-up sex," Morgan said, smiling seductively.

"Maybe you should be in the left lane then," answered Reid, looking very forward to the prospect of having make-up sex in as many rooms of their home as possible.


End file.
